Arthur C. Gibson, University of California, Los Angeles
M. Rasoul Sharifi, University of California, Los Angeles
Philip W. Rundel, University of California, Los Angeles

Ecophysiological Observations on Lane Mountain Milkvetch, Astragalus Jaegerianus (Fabaceae), a Proposed Endangered Species of the Mojave Desert

DOI

10.5642/aliso.19981701.07

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Last Page

Abstract

Astragalus jaegerianus, the Lane Mountain milkvetch, a perennial herbaceous legume, is a rare and very narrow endemic of the central Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, and currently proposed to be listed as an endangered species. This herb grows in the protection of low shrubs. Anatomical observations revealed that leaflets are amphistomatic and have isolateral mesophyll, typical of full-sun desert leaves, and the green stem is an important photosynthetic organ, having abundant stomata and a cylinder of cortical chlore nchyma. Ecophysiological studies showed that this species requires high PFD (1400-1500 μmol m^-2s^-1) to achieve maximum photosynthetic rates and, therefore, is probably not utilizing the nurse shrub for shade but, instead, as a trellis for upper shoots to intercept high PFD. A study of δ¹⁵N indicated that this legume is a nitrogen fixer, with higher tissue nitrogen content than other associated species (3.1% versus 1.8%). The herb-shrub association is speculated to be mutualistic, in that the shrub may benefit from higher soil nitrogen when it grows with a nitrogen-fixing legume, and A. jaegerianus likely uses the nurse shrub for protection from herbivores.

Recommended Citation

Gibson, Arthur C.; Sharifi, M. Rasoul; and Rundel, Philip W. (1998) "Ecophysiological Observations on Lane Mountain Milkvetch, Astragalus Jaegerianus (Fabaceae), a Proposed Endangered Species of the Mojave Desert," Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany: Vol. 17: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/aliso/vol17/iss1/7